Keep a Reading Log

Here are five reasons why to keep a homeschool reading log.
Then download the free sheet so that you can keep track of all of the great
books that you read.

1.
Some colleges like to see what your child has
read in high school. They especially like to see what classical books your
child has read.

2.
A list of books read can jog your child’s memory. He
might be asked about the books that he read during a college interview. Also
your child should review his list before he takes the SAT test. Classical
literature can sometimes help with the essay question.

3.
We use the lists to help us find other books by
the same authors.

4.
A friend might want to know about a great book
to read. We can give our friend a copy of our reading log.

5.
Our family likes to see some of the great books
that we have read during our homeschool journey.

What to Include

I mentioned above that a list can jog your child’s memory.
So your child should include more than just the title and author. It would be
good to write a short summary of the book. He might make note of interesting
characters and where the story took place.

Your child does not need to write summaries for every book
that he reads. I make sure that my children record information about any
classical book that they read especially books that are listed on college
reading lists. I want them to remember as
much about the book as they can when it comes to test and interview time.

I also like to keep a separate sheet for books that we read
aloud as a family. I like to note if we liked the book and if it was good for
reading aloud.

Free Reading Log Sheet

Download your free log here so that you can keep track of the books you read.

It is a
PDF so you will need to have Adobe reader on your computer.

On the sheet there is a place for the title and author. Your
child can mark if they liked the book or not. In the third column make notes
about what the book is about. There is also a place to make other comments.

A reading log can be helpful for
homeschoolers. Your child can see all of the books that he has read in one
year. They can also be important for applying to colleges.